The governments of Wales and Scotland both made representations at a Supreme Court hearing at the end of last year after the UK Government appealed against a High Court ruling that it could not trigger Article 50 – the mechanism by which Britain will leave the EU – without a vote in Parliament.

The UK Government took the case to the Supreme Court after the High Court ruled in favour of a challenge to the government’s powers which was led by business owner Gina Miller.

Wales’ Counsel General, Pontypridd AM Mick Antoniw, and a legal team argued the UK Government’s challenge was contrary to the principle of devolution – and said it would override the British constitution.

At the time Mr Antoniw said: “In the Supreme Court the Welsh Government will argue the process of leaving the EU must be carried out within the law, which includes respecting and adhering to the constitutional arrangements of the United Kingdom and the legal framework for devolution.”

Now it has been revealed that the cost of the Welsh Government making their legal case came to £84,364.43 – with more than £79,000 spent on legal fees to pay barrister Richard Gordon QC and Tom Pascoe.

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Almost £4,200 was spent on travel, subsistence, and accommodation for Mr Antoniw and three Welsh Government lawyers, with the remainder going towards Supreme Court meeting room hire and refreshments as well as court fees, according to the figures, which were released under freedom of information laws.

The Supreme Court heard from the Welsh and Scottish governments (Image: Getty Images)

The total expenditure refers to both a divisional court hearing in October and the subsequent Supreme Court hearing at the start of December.

But Conservative MP for Monmouth David Davies insisted the expenditure could not be justified.

He said: “What an absolute waste of taxpayers’ cash – and all to pay for Mick Antoniw’s tortuous bid to block Brexit.

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“Ultimately the weakness of the Welsh Government’s case exposed this venture for what it was – a peacocking exercise, motivated by a combination of ego and an unwillingness to abide by the democratic process.”

And Mr Davies claimed: “It might not seem like a grand sum in the context of the Welsh Government’s overall budget but that kind of money could have paid for four full-time Welsh NHS nurses, which would have been a much better use of taxpayers’ money.”

He also pointed to a description by the UK Government of the Welsh Government’s intervention in the case as “tortuous”, saying foreign affairs issues were not devolved.

Monmouth MP David Davies

But a Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We do not apologise for intervening in what is one of the most significant constitutional legal cases in the UK’s history. We did so to protect the interests of Wales and its devolved institutions.

“The people of the UK voted to leave the European Union and we respect that decision. While Brexit will happen the UK Government cannot trigger it by overriding the British constitution. They need to act within the law.

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“In the Supreme Court we argued the process of leaving the EU must be carried out within the law, which includes respecting and adhering to the constitutional arrangements of the United Kingdom and the legal framework for devolution.”